The scheme would give businesses the chance to register www.name.uk as their web address. It would run alongside the current www.name.co.uk service.

Applicants would have to prove they had a UK presence and pay a higher fee.

A three-month consultation is under way. Some companies may oppose the move on the grounds they already face having to buy other new net addresses.

Eleanor Bradley, Nominet's director of operations, stressed that the idea was "not a money marking exercise" and that any additional earnings derived would be passed onto an independent trust to invest in improving internet access and security.